My predictions were as follows: Left to their own volition, the banks would not make a good faith effort to modify loans or lend out their newfound money but would instead hang onto it to brace for the coming wave of foreclosures.

Three residential builders have new homes coming soon at the first master-planned community to be built in Carlsbad since 2006. Construction continues on schedule toward a 2010 grand opening for new homes within the neighborhoods at The Foothills.

From Wall Street's major players to Main Street's family-owned businesses, companies are using someone else's relatively cheap money to own their corporate real estate. The company then can grow its core business with the net proceeds from the sale.

The best in sales and marketing achievements by Southern California homebuilders were celebrated recently in Anaheim, and Atrium at EastLake Vistas by Davidson Communities was awarded Best Interior Merchandising of a Model Home.

How do most people start investing in real estate? They save money, they borrow from friends and family, and they risk taking credit. Or they try sophisticated techniques like no money down deals, which even the experienced real estate investor may find difficult to succeed with.

The Education Foundation of the CCIM Institute is a nonprofit entity that works to advance knowledge and professionalism in the field of commercial investment real estate. The foundation's mission is to create and administer an endowment to provide the best vision, and vehicles to ensure the development of the highest quality commercial/investment real estate education.

The stock market is reaching highs not seen in over a year, federal stimulus funds are flowing and Goldman Sachs just issued the first CMBS deal in over nine months -- so is the economy and, consequently, the commercial real estate market truly on the rebound?

LOS ANGELES -- The percentage of households that could afford to buy an entry-level home in California stood at 64 percent in the third quarter of 2009, compared with 55 percent (revised) for the same period a year ago, according to a report released by the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.).

RICHMOND, Calif. -- An Indian tribe wants to build a grand, $1.5 billion, Las Vegas-style casino resort on a swath of land overlooking San Francisco Bay -- a spot more than 100 miles from its tribal lands.

LOS ANGELES -- Home sales rose 10 percent in the Western region of the country in October, driven largely by first-time homebuyers racing to qualify for a tax credit that had been set to expire at the end of this month, according to two reports released Monday.

Commercial and industrial building projects in California will get under way more quickly than in the past, thanks to a new program announced Wednesday by the state Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.

Who's Who in Real Estate

Profiles

Ed Smith Jr. has talked policy with Congress. He's considered an expert witness for finance law. He has been on YMCA boards and been president of the California Association of Mortgage Brokers, one of the largest trade organizations in California. He's seriously considering running for president of the national Association of Mortgage Brokers after he's helped hundreds of people buy homes during the past 27 years.

William McLennan, executive vice president and chief real estate officer of Torrey Pines Bank, got his real estate start in college, then parlayed those skills to banking -- and he's now been a banker for 25 years.

Stacey Hansen is that rare breed, a native Californian, who grew up in the Midwest and Northwest before returning to the state in the mid-'80s. She lives in Escondido and works out of the San Marcos office of Essex Realty Management, one of the largest commercial property management firms in the western region.

Matthew Reid, the incoming president of the San Diego Chapter of the National Association of Industrial & Office Properties, says while there has been a modest dip in membership, it has basically held its own.

National News

RICHMOND, Calif. -- An Indian tribe wants to build a grand, $1.5 billion, Las Vegas-style casino resort on a swath of land overlooking San Francisco Bay -- a spot more than 100 miles from its tribal lands.

LOS ANGELES -- Home sales rose 10 percent in the Western region of the country in October, driven largely by first-time homebuyers racing to qualify for a tax credit that had been set to expire at the end of this month, according to two reports released Monday.

Find out who the major real estate players are in San Diego, as we profile individual leaders in the commercial and residential real estate markets, as well as those in the office leasing marketplace and private sector companies.